The present invention relates to a motor vehicle tailgate, and more particularly to a tailgate for mounting on hinges situated along its bottom horizontal edge so as to pivot about said horizontal edge between a substantially vertical closed position and a substantially horizontal open position.
In the open position, the tailgate extends the floor at the back of the vehicle to facilitate loading.
For such a tailgate to be able to pivot, it is necessary to leave an empty space enabling it to move angularly at the back of the vehicle.
In particular, unless the tailgate extends beyond the bumper at the back of the vehicle, it is necessary for the bumper to be positioned far enough below the closed tailgate to leave sufficient free height between the bumper and the floor at the back to accommodate substantially the thickness of the tailgate.
That constitutes a constraint on vehicle appearance that the present invention seeks to eliminate.
Furthermore, given that the bumper must not be positioned too low on account of its essential protective function, the floor at the back of the vehicle is often artificially raised so as to come up to the same level as the inside face of the tailgate when open, and that leads to a loss of volume at the back.
The present invention provides a motor vehicle tailgate designed to be pivotally mounted to a vehicle about hinges situated close to one of its edges, wherein, in the vicinity of its hinges, the tailgate is constituted by a main panel secured to the hinges and by a secondary panel which is movable relative to the main panel between a closed position in which it is superposed on the main panel so as to reconstitute a tailgate of full thickness, and an open position in which it is separated from the main panel, with the main panel then constituting a portion of the tailgate of reduced thickness.
This xe2x80x9cthinnerxe2x80x9d portion of the tailgate enables the tailgate to be folded down while requiring smaller clearance than would be necessary if the tailgate retained its initial thickness on being opened.
The invention thus makes it possible to bring the floor at the back of the vehicle closer to the back bumper when the tailgate pivots about its bottom horizontal edge, since the minimum distance between the floor at the back of the vehicle and the bumper is the thickness of the main panel only and not the full thickness of the entire tailgate.
In a particular embodiment of the invention, the secondary panel is situated on the outside face of the tailgate.
In a particular embodiment, the secondary panel is mounted to pivot relative to the main panel about an axis which is situated, relative to the secondary panel, remote from the hinges of the tailgate.
In this embodiment, the secondary panel can extend perpendicularly to the tailgate in its open position.
Given that the open tailgate is generally horizontal, the panel that has pivoted to be perpendicular to the open tailgate is vertical.
The secondary panel can then be used to support a device carrying signaling lights and/or a license or number plate possibly with license plate lighting, thus enabling the vehicle to be used with its tailgate open and still comply with regulations.
In another embodiment, that the secondary panel can be detached from the main panel.
In an advantageous variant, the secondary panel when detached from the main panel can be fixed back on the tailgate at some other point.
For example, the secondary panel can be fixed perpendicularly to the tailgate at its point situated furthest back relative to the vehicle, so as to serve as a support for signaling lights or a license plate, while also marking the rear end of the vehicle as constituted by the end edge of the tailgate remote from its hinges.
The secondary panel fixed in this way at the rearmost point of the vehicle also serves as a bumper for low energy impacts, thereby protecting the edge of the tailgate remote from its hinges, which is particularly vulnerable if the vehicle is used with its tailgate open.
In a particular embodiment of the invention, a latching mechanism holds the secondary panel in its closed position against the main panel.
In an advantageous variant, the latching mechanism is coupled to the control of a lock for the tailgate so that the secondary panel passes from its closed position to its open position when the tailgate is opened.
In another embodiment, the tailgate includes a synchronization mechanism which tilts the secondary panel into its open position while the tailgate is pivoting into its open position, and vice versa.
Advantageously, the secondary panel constitutes a xe2x80x9cfusexe2x80x9d zone of the tailgate.